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G. B. MOORAOKBN.

SHUTTLE GUARD FOR. LOOMS.

No. 390,498. Patented Oct. 2, 1888..

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,GEORGE E. MOCRACKEN, OF W'ILLIMANTIC, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO YVELLINGTON STITES, OF SAME PLACE.

SHUTTLE-GUARD FOR LOOIVIS.

EJ'PECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 390,498, dated October 2, 1868.

Application filed January 3, 1888. Serial No. 259,714. (No modem To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. ll/IOCRAOKEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at \Villr mantic, in the county of \Vindham and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Shuttle-Guards for Looms, which improvement is fully set forth and described in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of part of a loom-frame having attached thereto the lathe and such other portions as are necessary to explain my said invention. Fig. 21's a perspec tive View of the hand-rail b with my guardwire secured thereto. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of one end of said gnardwire, and Fig. 4 a section of the handrail cut away to expose the manner of locking said guard-wire to said rail. Fig. 5 shows a similar cut-away section in which a starting-hole was first bored in the hand-rail before driving in the guard-wire.

My invention relates to the class of looms commonly used in cotton and woolen weaving, and has for its immediate object the improvement of the rod or wire secured to the handrail of the reciprocating batten to prevent the accidental displacement or deflection of the shuttle as said shuttle shoots through the shuttle-race. This guard-wire is located on the front side of the hand-rail, parallel therewith, and is usually somewhat longer than the width of the fabric. Said guard-wires have been secured to the hand-rail heretofore in various ways, the most common of which has been by a nut screwed onto each end of the wire after said wire ends have been passed through the hand-rail. This means for fastening has been open to the objection that the nut on the rear side occasionally works loose and cuts outthe harness. The manner of fastening which I have invented and desire to secure by Letters Patent leaves the hand-rail perfectly smooth on the side that confronts the harness.

Briefly described, my said improvement consists of a single rod or wire with an angular bend near each end, and having said ends split so that when driven into the hand-rail the two prongs diverge as they pass into the wood.

Referring to the drawings, the letter a in licates the lathe or batten of the loom, having attached thereto the hand-rail Z), these parts being as commonly constructed.

0 indicates the shuttle-guard wire. In Fig. 3 I have shown one end of said wire. Said wire is split for a distance of an inch or thereabout, as at d, the inner side of the extreme ends of the prongs thus provided being preferably backed off or beveled, as at a. An angular bend,f, is provided near each end, and between these bends the guard-wire lies parallel with the hand-rail.

\Vhen it is desired to attach my device to a loom, the bifurcated ends of the wire 0 are placed against thehand-rail in proper position and driven forcibly into said rail, the operation being as simple, and in fact substantially the same, as driving an ordinary nail. As the prongs enter the wood they separate and curve outward, as in Figs. 4 and 5, the peculiar form which they assume enabling them to lock the guard-wire firmly to the hand-rail. The sharp beveled ends of the prongs cut the wood as they enter, and act as wedges that simply sep arate and compress the wood fiber instead of driving the wood before it, as in the case of a nail with a blunt end. In order to avoid jamming or spalting off the surface wood where the bifurcated ends of the wire enter the handrail, a hole of the same diameter as the wire 0 may first be bored to a depth of one-sixteenth of an inch, or thereabont. Fig. 5 illustrates such a construction, the wood of the hand-rail fitting tightly and smoothly around the wire 0, while in Fig. 4 (in which the wire is supposed to have been forcibly driven into said rail without previously boring for it) the wood is indented and crowded away from said wire.

Guard-wires as thus described are extremely simple to both make and apply, and overcome all the objections which, so far asI am familiar with the art, have existed heretofore. They may be placed on the market with other mill supplies,and may be attached to old looms when the original wires break or work loose. Having described my invention, I claim 1. A shuttleguard of the class referred to, consisting of a rod bifurcated at each end and provided. with an angular bend adjacent to said l purpose specified.

ends, substantially as described, and for the 1oon1batten, a shuttle guard rod having bifurcated ends driven into said hand-rail, as set IO 2. A shuttle-guard consisting of arod bifurforth, and having angular bends adjacent to cated at each end and provided with an angusaid rail, substantially as herein described.

5 1ar bend adjacent to said ends said bifurcated GEORGE B. MCGRAOKEN.

ends being beveled, as herein described, and Witnesses: for the object specified. FRANK H. ALLEN, 3. In combination with the hand-rail of a I. L. FRANKLIN. 

